Senior Application Developer (Admin)

Pennsylvania Legislative Data Processing Center; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pennsylvania Legislative Data Processing Center in Harrisburg seeks a Senior Applications Developer for the Administrative Applications team. This role blends hands-on development in a ColdFusion environment with leadership responsibilities to architect solutions and guide the web team.

You will review code, mentor developers, coordinate with DBAs and analysts, and ensure timely delivery with high quality standards.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on software development experience.
• Strong SQL and data analysis skills.
• QA, code review, testing, release readiness.
• Ability to plan projects, estimate timelines and milestones.
• Hybrid remote work schedule (in-office 3 days, 2 days at home).
• Experience with Jira or Azure DevOps.
• Knowledge of SDLC and software architecture.
• Leadership and mentoring preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design and architecture of enterprise web applications and services supporting payroll and HR management (LPS), and business financial solutions (LFS).
• Review and QA code developed by team members, ensuring adherence to standards and requirements.
• Collaborate with business analysts, project managers, and technical teams to deliver high-quality solutions.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior developers.
• Identify and communicate technical risks and areas for improvement.
• Participate in and lead code reviews to maintain high standards.
• Coordinate with DBAs to deploy changes to Staging and Production; liaison for upgrades.
• Advise on prioritizing workload based on business impact and dependencies.
• Clarify requirements with stakeholders and manage delivery timelines.
• Maintain and groom the team backlog; track progress with the Supervisor.
• Serve as primary contact for troubleshooting requests and enhancements.
• Evaluate and triage incoming requests; document issues clearly.

Skills

SQL

Data analysis

QA/Code Review

Testing practices

SDLC

Project planning

Technical leadership

Communication with stakeholders

Hybrid coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

Job description

Title: Senior Applications Developer (Admin)

Reports to: Supervisor, Administrative Applications

Location:B-48 Main Capitol, 411 North Street, Harrisburg, PA

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm (hybrid-telework eligible)

Job Overview

The Legislative Data Processing Center (LDPC) provides bi-partisan operational and technical support for the Pennsylvania General Assembly (PGA). LDPC is seeking candidates for the role of Senior Applications Developer for the Administrative Applications team. In this role, you will serve as a key technical resource supporting a web development team currently working within a ColdFusion environment. You will play a central role in architecting solutions, assisting developers with technical issues, ensuring code quality, tracking incoming requests, and helping the team stay organized and focused on high-priority work.

This is an excellent opportunity for a developer who enjoys both hands-on technical work and cross-functional collaboration, and who is ready to take on a leadership role without leaving the technical trenches.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design and architecture of enterprise web applications and services supporting payroll and human resource management (LPS), and business financial solutions (LFS).
• Review and perform quality assurance (QA) on code developed by team members, ensuring adherence to standards, best practices, and functional requirements.
• Work closely with business analysts, project managers, and technical teams to deliver high-quality solutions.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level developers.
• Identify and communicate technical risks, code deficiencies, and areas for improvement.
• Participate in and lead code reviews to maintain a high standard of deliverables.
• Work closely with DBAs to ensure code changes are successfully deployed to Staging and Production environments; serve as the point of contact with DBAs for successful upgrades of the database, operating systems, and developer tools.
• Provide recommendations to the Supervisor regarding prioritizing the development team’s workload based on business impact, urgency, and technical dependencies.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and management to clarify requirements and set realistic expectations for delivery timelines.
• Coordinate with Supervisor to maintain and groom the team’s task backlog, ensuring work is well-defined and ready for development.
• Assist the Administrative Applications Supervisor in tracking the progress of development tasks assigned to individual developers.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for incoming troubleshooting requests and enhancement submissions.
• Evaluate and triage incoming requests, gather necessary information, and route them appropriately.
• Document issues and enhancement requests clearly to facilitate efficient resolution by the development team.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, with 8-10 years of demonstrated experience.

Required Skills

• Follow hybrid remote work schedule (3 days in the office, 2 days at home).
• 8+ years of hands-on software development experience — contributing to the codebase, troubleshooting issues, and reviewing others’ code meaningfully.
• Must be highly skilled with SQL and data analysis.
• Strong QA/Code Review/Testing practices including evaluating code quality, test planning, defect tracking, and release readiness validation.
• Ability to create complex technical project plans, architect solutions, estimate timelines and milestones, and communicate them effectively to development teams.
• Communicates technical specifications with the development team but can discuss the same subject in simple, clear terms with non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to multitask and juggle competing interests and prioritize accordingly.
• Proactively anticipates problems and develops solutions before they expand.
• Demonstrates leadership presence; able to hold the team accountable and enforce deadlines
• Ability to focus on projects and lead responsibilities. This role may occasionally be involved in writing code as needed but will spend 50-75% of time focused on team and project needs.
• Familiarity with issue-tracking tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar.
• Knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) best practices.
• Technical aptitude with the ability to understand legacy and modern codebases.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Collaborative team player with a proactive attitude.
• Comfortable operating in a hybrid technical/coordination role.

Preferred Skills

• Prior experience in a lead, senior, or mentoring capacity preferred.
• Experience working in an Agile or Scrum environment.
• Previous experience with ERP software packages, specifically Financials or Human Resources.

Working Conditions/Environment

Expected to report to the office during normal business hours (8:30am-5:00pm).May be required to work beyond normal working hours as defined by the needs of the Center and General Assembly.Regular and punctual on-site attendance is an essential function of this position.This position is eligible for hybrid teleworking (2 days a week, remote).

Compensation

Compensation commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and demonstrated expertise. Compensation includes a full package of benefits and generous paid leave.

This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with this position.All employees are expected to contribute to the overall mission of the Center by performing other duties as required.

The Legislative Data Processing Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.